Spec me a HTPC

Dogfood09

Dogfood09

Dogfood09

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Joined
18 Dec 2009
Posts
423
Guys ,

need a HTPC , will only use it for HD content , Blu Ray and playing music , and internet usage , i have not got a budget , but i dont want to spend a lot , I have no idea about HTPC`s so your ideas and input will be vital.

Thanks in Advance
 
 
Hi there,

With that usage I would consider an AMD E-350 or E-450 based system - since it delivers enough performance to decode 1080p smoothly, as well as doing basic desktop tasks (like internet browsing and music playing).

In fact, if you want a small/quiet system then I would recommend the Asus E45M1-I DELUXE - this includes the motherboard, CPU, GPU and passive heatsink all in one tiny package. You can then use it with a mini-ITX case + PSU, add some RAM, HDD (maybe a tiny SSD as a silent boot drive) and optical drive - and you have a small, quiet HTPC that won't break the bank.
 
Thanks , I not really looking for a midi case , something more along the lines that will sit with my tv stand , and if there is any remotes than can be used with it?
 
I have an ASRock E350 system in that Antec case Warecast linked to, with 4gb ram, standard 2.5" WD Blue hard drive. Whisper quiet, has handled everything and all HD content I have thrown at it. It streams the content from my NAS upstairs. Could not be happier.

If building again today I would either do same again or maybe a Llano with an itx board.

For a remote I use a Logitech DiNovo Mini, great for occasional typing and media centra remote duties.


Or something like this with optical drive:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Lian Li PC-Q09FB Mini-ITX HTPC Chassis - Black £76.99
1 x Gigabyte A75N-USB3 AMD A75 (Socket FM1) DDR3 mini ITX Motherboard £74.99
1 x Seagate Momentus 5400.6 500GB 5400RPM SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (ST9500325AS) £62.99
1 x AMD Llano A6-3500 2.40GHz (Socket FM1) APU Processor £56.99
1 x Crucial 4GB (1x4GB) DDR3 PC3-10600C9 1333MHz 240-Pin (CT51264BA1339) £19.99
1 x Samsung SN-208BB/BEBE Slimline 8x DVD±RW SATA Drive - OEM £18.98
Total : £324.43 (includes shipping : £11.25).

 
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tbh mate putting an ib chip into an htpc is kind of overkill. as others have said the liano's onboard gpu is more than adequate for what u need it to do. or even wait for amd to bring out trinity.
 
Dogfood09 said:
Im thinking i may go down the ivybridge route the hd4000 onboard graphics may come in handy
Click to expand...

The thing is the Intel integrated graphics (including the HD4000) is that they still have an issue where they can't display video framerates properly - so every few minutes you get a dropped frame (which can be a bit annoying - and not ideal for HTPC uses). There is some information on this issue here (this is a review for the sandy bridge CPUs, but it's the same issue).

Also, as opstrat says an Ivy Bridge CPU is waaaay overkill for a HTPC CPU - plus they are really expensive with only quad core £150+ models currently available and dual core ones not expected for a couple of months. Also, the currently available Ivy bridge CPUs are relatively power hungry for a HTPC CPU - for example the lowest power i5 is 65W and costs £150. The lowest power desktop Ivy Bridge of them all is the i7 3770T, which has a power rating of 45W and costs ~£240. This means you will generally need active cooling and a half-decent size case to put them in.

In contrast an AMD E-450 (which does video framerates properly) only uses ~20W for the motherboard+CPU+GPU (so you can use mainly passive cooling and a tiny case). Sure, it isn't as fast as an Ivy Bridge in terms of CPU grunt - but how important is this for a HTPC system if it is fast enough for the tasks that you do use it for? I personally use an E-350 to power a HTPC system back at home and it works great.
 
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